The Rise of Skywalker: An Epilogue
by glockcourage
Summary: After the TROS movie credits go up, this appears at last. A Fix it fic. SPOILERS present.


**A/N: This is a TROS Fix it fic...dandadanaan it has SPOILERS. **

—oOo—

** The Rise of Skywalker: An epilogue **

Finn's mind wasn't weak. He remembered everything.

—oOo—

Nobody had seen Rey for the last seven years. She had made contact here and there to reassure them that she is still alive but that was it. Only her face filling the screen, her location signal jammed, her voice carried the message that the ex-scavenger is well and thriving from across a vast distance.

Until one night in a planet where one side was desert land and the other was lush green, Finn's eyes caught the sight of Rey passing by.

On one hand, Rey's fingers were gripping a small kid's hand, and on the other arm, a bag full of odd looking vegetables and other stuffs. She had discarded her old clothes and was wearing what the natives of the planet wore, a beautiful dress with flowers and little gems atop her head. Yes, she was thriving alright.

"_Rey!"_ Finn shouted, trying to get her attention. He was quite a distance from her yet. She had never told them where she was. They had cajoled and begged her so they could visit but she never told them where she was. Finn knew, he had only this one shot of getting to her. _"REEEY!"_

Finn saw the exact moment Rey heard him. He watched her back straightened before she hastened her steps. Then two steps later, she bend down to carry the small kid and left her bag of groceries behind.

"_Rey wait __up!__"_ Finn called out, more desperate. She is his friend. _W__hy is she running away? _Finn fiercely wanted the answer to that and he ran after her.

Finn, taller and just as determined, was able to catch her when her mad dash was slowed down by the other passerby. It was lucky that he found her in a marketplace or he wouldn't have reached her at all.

Catching his breath, Finn grabbed her arm to turn her around towards him. Finn smiled upon seeing her face. The past years had made her face lose that hungry look. She seemed healthy and laugh lines were radiating from her eyes. Although at the moment, she wasn't smiling. She appeared...worried.

"It's me Finn, Rey," he said it to reassure. Of course, she had not forgotten him. Her last call might be a couple of years ago, but the things they had been through made the meaning of time and distance insignificant. Finn frowned at her, _a how could you _expression in his eyes and Rey looked away. Finn then transferred his attention to the child she was gripping so hard in her arms. The child had started to fidget sensing Rey's unease. Finn was then stunned, his mouth left slightly gaping open. The kid finally squirmed in Rey's hand to glower at him. He appeared to be about 4 years old and the likeness to Kylo Ren was unmistakable. The child has Kylo's slightly overlong, wavy hair, his coloring and the belligerent look in his eyes.

Furthermore, Finn couldn't mistake it. He had seen general Leia's treasured picture book. The kid looks like a miniature Kylo Ren.

He couldn't help it, Finn blurted out, "_Kylo raped you? But—but __how? H__e's dead! Wait!" _A million thoughts passed through Finn's head at lightspeed._ "_Did Kylo Ren have the emperor's powers—that he still lives. But you said Kylo Ren's body disappeared just like any jedi when they die."

"Who is Kylo Ren, mama?" the kid asked. "Did Kylo Ren raped you, mama?"

"_What?! No!"_ Rey answered, aghast, _"Kylo did not rape me!"_

"What does rape means?" the kid asked again. _"Is it __rotten__?_ Papa said don't do anything rotten."

Rey groaned. "I have to explain what's R-A-P-E to him now."

"_Who is your father?"_ Finn spoke at the same time as Rey, his attention turned on the child and quite ignoring Rey's grunt.

"Papa," the child answered.

"I mean—_What's __your papa's__ name?"_

"En," the child replied proudly.

Rey smiled at her child. It erased the worry from her face and filled it with love.

_What was he thinking!_ Of course, the kid's father isn't Kylo Ren. Kylo Ren had been dead for seven long years. To cover his gaffe, Finn asked,"Aren't you going to invite me in your home, Rey?"

"It's far—"

The child interrupted Rey, _"Is he your friend, mama?"_

"Yes, sweetheart."

"You can come with us," the kid said to Finn. "I have lots of friends here. They all go to my house."

"Why thank you. Obviously your mama doesn't want me to but I'll accept your offer," Finn agreed. "What's your name by the way?"

"I'm Re," the child beamed.

"It's Reb actually," Rey answered automatically.

"Short for rebel? Sweet."

The kid frowned. "What's that, mama?"

"_Rey, you didn't tell him?"_

"We will when he's old enough."

"Oh. I see. Sorry."

"It's alright."

"So let's go to your place. Too bad Rose isn't with me. But I'll tell her and Poe when—"

Suddenly, Rey grabbed Finn's arm stopping him from talking and walking. "These past 7 years, I have never been happier. I'm asking as a friend, as your dear friend, that you never speak to anyone that you have seen me here."

"But...But I'll only tell Rose and Poe. They are wondering how you are doing, Rey."

"Please, Finn." Rey begged. She doesn't want to do a memory wipe but she will like the other time. "Can I trust you to keep this a secret?"

Suddenly, finally it clicked. The kid looking like Kylo Ren. "What's the name of your father, kid?" Finn repeated his previous question.

"En," the child answered the same thing.

Finn suddenly turned to Rey, his voice filled with accusation and astonishment as he said, "Re or should I say Reb can't pronounce his letter B's yet, can't he? His father is Ben. Ben Solo."

A tear rolled down Rey's face as she waved her hand in front of Finn's face. "You did not see me here. This planet is peaceful and boring. You will never want to visit here again."

After a moment, Finn repeated Rey's words.

"Goodbye, my friend," Rey said before she started walking away from Finn. Her precious kid still clutched protectively in her arms.

"Why did you do that, mama?" Reb asked.

Rey kissed the top of the child's head. "I have something precious to protect." And to herself, she added, '_I don't want to burden them and force them to understand.'_

She dragged her feet, to put distance from where she was and where she left Finn. Her tears continued to roll down and Rey buried her face in her child's lush hair._ 'I don't want to __feel__ alone again. I have you and __Ben__. That's enough,' _she whispered to herself

—oOo—

Rey remembered what took place seven years ago.

The life Leia had given Kylo when he should have died under the lightsaber Rey wielded wasn't used then because Rey healed him. That was why Leia's body didn't disappeared immediately. And when Rey died, Ben's life force was given to her...And then Leia's life force was finally given to Ben.

When Ben's body started to disappear, Leia's body started to disappear too. And before he could totally disappear...as with the force, his body slowly returned. His chest moved, a twitched in his eyelids appeared and then his pale skin returned to somewhat healthier color.

"Ben," Rey whispered in disbelief. The numbness she felt replaced by a burst of happiness.

However, Ben had tears in his eyes when he finally opened them, sensing that his mother was truly gone. Even weak, Leia had a Mother's will. She willed her life to Ben across the vast space. She was that powerful and bad ass.

"You're alive," Rey said, embracing Ben tightly, her body covering his on the ground where he died.

Ben nodded his head. "You'll never be alone. We'll never be alone again."

"Yes," Rey answered. She then slowly raised herself to gesture at their entwined fingers. "I'm holding your hand now. And I'm gonna hold on tightly."

After that, Rey joined the resistance and her friends for a while to celebrate and to say goodbye. Then she went to Tatooine burying Luke and Leia's lightsabers in the arid sand. She was burying the past and leaving it behind.

Then Ben arrived in Tatooine, in a nondescript ship, wearing a lighter colored robe just like his uncle Luke. He didn't wear a mask and the scar on his face was gone. The people who knew Kylo Ren had only seen him with either his mask on or with his scar. It would be difficult for them to recognized the man who now smiled quite often.

"I'm back, sweetheart." Ben then asked. _"Where to?"_

"I didn't bring the Falcon. I wanted to give it back to you but..."

"But it's too well known," finished Kylo. "You can still change your mind. We can go back to your friends and I can surrender."

"_NO!" _Rey shook her head forcefully. "I can be selfish too! I don't have to be good all the time. You already carry the burden of your conscience. I can hear it too, but this time it's your own voice still punishing you in your head. But Leia gave her life to you. Han gave his life to you. I am willing to give my life to you. We want you to live. That will be your penance to live with a heavy conscience that won't let you be. But you have to live, not merely exist. You will have happiness after such a long time of unhappiness. Leia and Han wanted that for you. And I want you to find happiness...with me."

"We won't be really free. We'll always be on the run."

"Yes. But I won't be alone. I have you. I don't care about the rest."

"But we don't need to stay together. We can still communicate. The resistance might just imprison me."

"No, Ben. They will spill your blood then I have to pretend again that I am happy, that I am whole in front of my friends. I won't do that again."

"But won't you miss your friends? They are your family."

"I am Rey...Skywalker. You are what's left of my family. You are my family."

"_So we run?"_

"Yes, we run as far as we can go. We have the whole galaxy to do it."

—oOo—

Finn, with a heavy heart, left the planet that is half green and half brown.

Rey still didn't want to be found. Maybe next time...she would stop hiding and explain the secret she keeps. Maybe. Hopefully.

But he knew, later on, she would make contact. She would say sorry she couldn't say where she was then she would leave the planet. She had done it before.

At least now he had an idea why. The heaviness in his heart increased. Then he remembered her smile at her and Kylo Ren's—_no, __Ben's child. _She is happy. He couldn't deny it. That eased somewhat the heaviness in his chest.

And Rey is his friend. He might not agree but her secret is safe with him.

—oOo—

~12 24 19AF P 12 25 19~

A/N: This is what happened, right?


End file.
